Block-signaling system and apparatus therefor.



No. 744,706. PATENTED NOV. 24,1903.

A J. E. ALLISON.

BLOCK SIGNALING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

\ APPLICATION FILED AUG. 30, 1902.

N0 MODEL. I Q 2 SHEETS-SHEET 1 No. 744,706. PA-TENTED NOV. 24, 1903.

I J. E. ALLISON. BLOCK SIGNALING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THEREFOR.

APPLICATION FILED we. 30. 902.

. NO MODEL. 7 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES Patented November 24, 1903.

PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES E. ALLISON, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR T O HIMSELF AND GEORGE M. SEELEY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

BLOCK-SIGNALING SYSTEM AND APPARATUS THE REFO'R.

/ A SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 744,706, dated November 24, 1903. Application filed August 30,1902. Serial No. 121,652. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that 1, JAMES E. ALLISON,a citizen of the United States, residing-at the city of St. Louis, State of Missouri, have invented a. certain new and useful Improvement in Block Signaling Systems and Apparatus Therefor,of which the following is a full,'clear, and exact description, such as will enableothers skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being bad to. the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a fragmentary view showing the signals at one point in the line. Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 3 is an elevation showing the signals at the ends of four blocks, and Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view.

My invention relates to improvements in block-signaling systems and apparatus for use in the same.

My object is to provide a system in whic the signals are operated automatically, the

system being adaptable'to a single-track road and the train or car serving to automatically open and close the blocks. 1

To these ends and also to improve generally upon systemsand apparatus of the character indicated my invention consists in the various matters hereinafter described and claimed.

In the accompanying drawings, 1 represents a track, and 2 a line-wire or trolley-wire along the same. At suitable intervals along the track standards 3 are erected, by means of quadrant of each block is painted white, and the adjacent face or quadrant of said block is painted red, while each lantern is provided -to correspond with the said faces.

ley 9. solenoid-magnets 10, whose cores 11 are conwith two windows,which are above the painted faces of the supporting-block and are colored The signals being cylindrical, practically no surface is presented to the wind to retard the operation of thesignal. Each block is mounted ,upon a spindle or shaft 7, suitably journaled in a supporting-casing 8 upon the standard,

and fixed upon the spindle is a drum or pul- Suitably mounted in the casing are nected to opposite ends of a chain or other suitable driving member 12, passing about the drum and engaging the same in such manner that the spindle is partially rotated as a core is retracted. A locking-lever 13 is provided at one end with a locking finger or detent 14, which is adapted to be received in either of the notches or recesses 15, provided .upon the drum 9, and the opposite end of said locking-lever is connected to the core 16- of a solenoid-magnet 17, a spring 18 serving to move the lever into locking position.

Switches 19 and 19 are located alongthe track, a pair of such switches being placed at substantially the point at which each standard 3 is erected, the switches 19 being adapted to be operated by a train bound in one disite direction. Each switch comprises a pivoted arm or lever 20 and four. contact places with which said arm is adapted to simultaneously engage when it is thrown by apassing train or car, said arm being normally held out of contact with said plates and beingreturned to such position, as by means of a spring 21. The contact-plates of the switches 19 are marked 22, 23, 24, and 25, respectively, and the contact-plates of the switches 19 are respectively marked 22, 23*, 24?, and 25. The solenoid magnets 10 are arranged in pairs, the magnets of a given pair operating upon a single spindle, and those magnets which when energized causea' spindle to be thrown to display the red light and face are marked R, while the magnets which when energized cause the white light and faceto be displayed are marked W. Each contactplate 25 is connected by a wire a. to the so-- at which the switch,including said plate,is located. Each contact-plate 24: is connected bya wire 13 to the solenoid R of the signal N, which is supported upon the standard which carries the last-mentioned signal M. Each contact-plate 253 is connected by wire 0 to the solenoid R, operating the signal M at the point at which the particular plate 22 is located, and each contact-plate 23 is connected by wire d to the solenoid W, operating the signal N at the said point. Each contactplate 23 is connected by the wire 6 with the wire 0 of the next signal mechanism upon one side of the block end at which the particular plate 23 is located, and each plate 22 is connected by the wire f with the wire cl of the signal mechanism located upon the opposite side of the said block end. Each contactplate 24" is connected by the wire 9 with the wire I) of the signal mechanism upon one side of the block end at which the particular plate 24 is located, and each contact-plate 25 is connected by the wire it with the wire aof the signal mechanism upon the opposite side of the said block end-that is to say, when the switch-arm 20 is thrown it operates four signals, two of these being located at the block end at which the switch-arm is located, the third being located at the block end next adjacent that at which the switch is located and upon one side of the same, and the fourth signal being located at the block end next adjacent that at which the switch is located and upon the other side of the same. Each lockinglever-controlling solenoid 17 is connected bya wire 71 to the ground and by a wire 7a to one of the magnets R or \V of a pair, the other magnet of the pair being connected to the said wire it by a branch wire Z. Each switch-arm 20 is connected to the line-wire 2 by means of a wire 0'. It will therefore be seen that when a switch-arm is thrown connection is established between the line-wire and the ground and one solenoid of an appropriate pair of magnets R and IV is energized, the solenoid 17, controlling the locking-lever acting upon the spindle operated by said pair of solenoids R and WV, being also energized whenever one of said magnets of said pair is energized. Thus simultaneously with the energizing of either magnet of a pair the locking-lever-controlling solenoid, which cooperates with said pair, is energized and the locking-lever is carriedout of locking position, thereby permitting the proper solenoid R or W to operate and to throw the signal. As soon, however, as the solenoid R or W is deenergized the solenoid 17 is also deenergized and the locking-lever is thrown by its spring 18 into position to lock the signal in the position into which it has just been brought.

The various signals are arranged in line with each other along the track, so that there is a separate signal controlling each end of a block when viewed from either direction along the track. Forexample, the signal M, supported upon the right-hand standard shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, controls one end of the block A, and the signal N, mounted upon the middle standard shown in Fig. 3, controls the other end of said block A, while the signal N of the right-hand standard shown in said figure controls one end of the block A, and the signal M upon the middle standard controls one end of the block A Therefore the signals can be used to properly signal a train approaching a block end from either direction. When a train or car is traveling in a given block-as shown, for example, in the block A the signals controlling the ends of the said block are turned to display the red lights and faces.

e will assume that a car is traveling in the direction of the arrow shown in Fig. 3 and is in the block A. In such event the signal M upon the right-hand standard 3 will display the red light and face to close the rear of the said block A, and the signal N upon the center standard 3 will show the red light andface to close the forward end of the said block, while the signal N upon the right-hand standard 3 will display the white light and face, and the signal M on the middle standard will also display the white light and face. As long, therefore, as the car remains in the said block A no other car can enter this block from either direction. As the cal-leaves the block A and passes into the block A it operates the switch 19 As the arm 20 of the switch is thrown and makes connection with the plates 22, 23, 24:, and 25, the magnet R of the signal mechanism at the point which the car is passing will be energized, and the signal M, at the rear of the block A upon which the car is entering, will be thrown to display the red light in order to close the rear of the block into which the ear is passing. The solenoid W of the signal N, located at the same point, will also be operated in order to cause the said signal N to display the white light, thereby opening the block A, which the car is just leaving. The magnet W of the signal mechanism at the rear of the block which the car is leaving will be operated to cause the signal M to display its white face and light, thereby opening the other end of the block which the car is leaving, and the magnet R of the signal N at the forward end of the block A into which the car is passing, will be operated in order to close the forward end of the block upon which the car is about to travel. As the car leaves the block A and enters block A the signals for said blocks will be operated in the manner just described in connection with the signals for the blocks A and A Of course. if a car is, for example, in the block A as shown in Fig. 3, and is traveling in the direction of the arrow the signal M immediately in ad vanee of the car controls the movement of said car be yond said block, and it while the car is in the block A a car should enter the block A traveling in the direction opposite to the arrow shown, the signal M upon the left-hand standard would immediately be thrown to display the red light and face to the car in the block A and the travel of said car'would therefore be stopped.

I am aware that minor changes in the arrangement, construction, and combination of the several parts of my system and apparatus can be made and substituted for those here-t in shown and described without in the least departing from the natureand principle of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a system of the character indicated, the combination with a track divided into blocks, of two signals at the meeting-point of each two blocks, one of said signals being a forwardly-exhibiting one, N, and the other of said signals being a rearwardly-exhibiting one, M, two operative'mechanisms for each of said signals, one mechanism of each said set of operative mechanisms being a danger mechanism, R, and the other thereof being a safety mechanism, W, a single movable element,19, at the meeting-point of each two blocks and adapted to be operated as a car passes forwardly from one block to the next, a second movable element, 19, at the meeting-point of each two blocks and adapted to be operated as a car passes rearwardly from one block to the next, four members at each of said meeting-points, the said four members at a given meeting-point cooperating with the said single movable element at said meeting-point which is operable as a car passes forwardly, and being operatively connected as follows: one with the safety mechanism of the rearwardly-exhibiting signal at the next rear meeting-point, one with the danger mechanism of the forwardlyexhibiting signal of the next forward meeting-point, one with the safety mechanism of the forwardly-exhibiting signal at said given meeting-point, and one with the danger mechanism of the rearwardly-exhibiting signal at said given meeting-point, and four members at each of said meeting-points, the said last-mentioned four members at a given meeting-point cooperating with the said single movable element at said meeting-point which is operable as a car passes rearwardly,

and being connected as follows: one with the.

safety mechanism of. the rearwardly-exhibiting signal at such given meeting-point,

one with the danger mechanism of the forwardly-exhibiting signal at said given meeting-point, one with the danger mechanism of the rearwardly-exhibiting signal at the next rear meeting-point, and one with the safety mechanism of theforwardly-exhibiting signal at the next forward meeting-point oscillated by said respective magnets, a mov able locking member adapted'to engage said spindle, means tending to throw said looking member into locking position, a third magnet whose armature is so connected, to said locking member that when said third magnet is energized said locking member is moved from looking position, and connection between said third magnet and said two first mentioned magnets whereby said third magnet is energized whenever either of said other magnets is energized; substantially as described.

In testimonylwhereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 27th day of August, 1902. JAMES E. ALLISON. Witnesses:

GALES P. MOORE, s GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

